Selected Impromptu Speech at the Graduation and Diploma Presenting Ceremony of the Royal School of Administration (RSA) [Unofficial Translation]

Institutional Capacity Building, Whole Package of Reforms

I am so happy to join with all of you once again to present to trainees and graduates with diplomas and/or certificates of attendances … I am so happy to see progresses made in the Royal School of Administration (RSA) mentioned in the report of Minister Pech Bunthin. I wish to take this opportune moment to give my sincere appreciation for the efforts made by RSA in response to evolvement of our society. As you can see that studied here are not just civil servants but also Buddhist monks. Evolvement of society requires strengthening of institutional capacity. Whether we are able to do it or not, it will depend on human resources […]

It is in this meaning that the Royal Government hold on to public reforms as a major part its whole package of reforms. Public administration reform underwent along with judicial and public financial reform, including also local democratic reform through de-centralization and de-concentration […]

I am so happy that this year, thanks to the initiatives jointly taken by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports, and the Ministry of Public Functions, RSA has also enlisted directors of public schools in their courses. I hope that we will keep the discussion going on whether we should also enlist schools directors in provincial level to take the courses. We must not forget that reform in education requires good management, and schools directors are doing this job too […]

A Disciplinary Dress Code Is Not Good Enough

… As for working behaviors of our civil servants, (if they) know only how to put on a disciplinary dress code is not good enough. As you can see, I do not put on a tie today. In the last nearly two years, I never wore a tie to graduation events or a cabinet meeting. I thank President Barack Obama for establishing such a good habit. During the ASEAN-US summit in the United States of America, hosted the event, Mr. President entreated guests with wearing no ties. It was good. As for me, I have had to swap many shirts and they have many different neck sizes … now that there has an agreed upon code to wear no tie, it has been a relief. This is my first recommendation to our officials that they are not bosses to people, but they instead are servants of the people. They must not behave bossy around […]

Wife and/or Children Messes With Husbands’/Fathers’ Works

Even when addressing someone. There were courses in 1996, 1997 that they taught attendants to address each other as colleagues and other terms. However, that was not necessary. What is more important is to work well and serve the people. There is a saying from our old time “raising your chin high (as rice), there would not be grain (in it).” It happened to be true. Some have made people unhappy because of their attitudes. In addition to this I am asking our officials to pay attention to the fact that one’s wife or children are causing problems. In Khmer, we say – “while husband is a captain, wife would be a major, and children would be colonels.”

… It has been something that I never like. That is why when I become a leader of the country, I had to make sure that my children are brought up to be good children and they use no power of their parents to threaten or cause problem with anyone. In Khmer, we also say – “seedling would pull the soil, a woman would pull up her husband.” This infers to women know how to help their husbands but not to interfere in his. There have been still misbehaviors conducted by children and wives of officials. However, the majority of our officials are doing very good jobs […]

… Let me reassert that we are not bosses of people. We are faithful servants of people. We must turn wives and children of officials as the ones that are performing good deeds for people. If they were to involve themselves in such actions, officials holding positions would have a difficult time with conflict of interests. Some of you may have thought these are minor issues, but you could have seen some people became a subject of criticism from holding a position for even not one year.

Secondly, I am urging our officials to take full responsibility. In Khmer, this term literally means to take both good and bad result of one’s action. We say responsible man to mean that he would answer to his action whether it is right or wrong … There is no one on the face of the earth who would be 100% right. There would be rights and wrongs. However, it is important to see if the right side is heavier than the wrong one. If a person would be heavier on his wrong side, s/he would not be able to go forward. No matter what happens, a responsible person would come out to confront it and not leave the worst part to someone else … That is where I should bring up again this story about what I titled “the Pumpkin Seeds Officials” […]

Three Stages of Leading and Working Methods

My forthcoming recommendation is relating to leading and working methodology. I would not forget to share this with you. This would happen everywhere there is organization – whether it is in district/khan, commune/Sangkat, provincial or national leaderships, and military, police, or military police organizations … Firstly, there must be a good plan. A good plan will show us the way. It is a road map. At a national level, to prepare a plan, we would not only look into only factors within one’s own country. We must take into considerations factors from outside. More so, we are in this period of integrations – such as globalization, regionalization. We have involved in ASEAN of ten countries but we also have six partners – Indian, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand […] Having prepared a plan is to have drafted one’s road. To have done that is to have accomplished 30% of the leading and working methodology.

Secondly, where there is a plan, there must be organization to implement it … that would take into account human resource, materials, etc. Importantly, in the implementing stage, we must not push for will that is exceeding our ability. We may want to achieve it but we would not be able to do it because we did not have what it needs to help us achieve the goal. Some like to brag about to get the people’s attention even they themselves know they do have the ability to achieve it … implementing is another crucial stage. The plan would not turn to be a reality if we were to leave it in the drawer … having fulfilled this stage of implementation, we have realized another 30% of what we needed to do.

Report to Senior Level; Reprimand junior officials

What would another 40% be? It is a major step to measure capability of our officials. It is managing force majeure while in progress. That is dealing with things that arise unexpectedly. That would bring us to outstanding officials who would do what they could to manage force majeure or unexpected development, take for instance, flooding, typhoon, or other calamities […] Responsible officials would attach themselves with people and deal with the matters. There would also emerge other kind of unwanted officials. That type of officials would do two things in this situation – reporting to senior level and/or reprimanding their junior officials. This kind of officials should not stay on […]

As we are now in era of social media – WhatsApp, Telegram, Line, Viber, etc. they would ask for advice/instruction on what to do on so and so. I sometimes ignored their messages. Sometimes I just responded in short – “I have seen it.” Some did a rather better job by suggesting solutions. They finally asked for opinion should I eventually have any. I have choices then. If I agree with what they did, I would just write – “I have seen” […] as you can see now, in a leading and working methodology, there are three phases – organize a plan, organize an implementation, and finally get ready to deal with force majeure […]

Conflict Arises from Words

Today that I am here, should it be true that what some had said in a social media that I had a plane crash and died since 11:30am on 24 June, I could be a speaking ghost to you all. That is why I wish to bring it to the attention of diplomats that there is a high risk in Cambodia. Peace and stability are there but why I keep talking about possibility of an armed fighting. Some said they did not have weapons to fight, how could they make war. Look, why do we have conflict and cases in courts? It all started from insults, contempt, etc. As for the one who insulted me with death in Facebook, he has to run away or faces an arrested. They are cunning with such vile things … and you call that freedom of expression […]

They faked the news that “Hun Sen died of plane crash at 11:30 am on 24 June 2017 on his way to Vietnam. RIP” and they share from one to another and another. Hours after their posting, I appeared in a Ramadan breaking dinner at Kilometer 9. Would any of you accept this kind of insult? An incumbent Prime Minister’s death would be a turmoil and dangerous happening. Once such Prime Minister died, all ministers are no longer in positions. The Constitution clearly stipulates that should the post of Prime Minister is permanently vacant there must be a reorganization of the Cabinet. There is no such chance for any acting Prime Minister to take over. Everything would be dysfunctional.

Such insult would bring us to legal conflict. The other day they sent a message that the family of Hun must leave the country or they would be either dead or jailed. How could we leave this to go free? When we arrest them, some stepped out on pretext of freedom of expression. When they talked to Cambodians abroad, they used very good words. When they talk in Facebook or campaign, they used the worst ones. Their tongues will bring about war […]

CPP Called Elections Free, Fair and Just

Yesterday the National Elections Committee (NEC) announced official results of the commune/Sangkat elections. The Cambodian People’s Party already declared it accepted the results and considered the elections free, fair, and just. However, a political party and a non-governmental organization charged that they were not free yet. They would consider the elections free perhaps only when they march into Prime Minister’s home and kill him […] I depend on HE Ambassador of Japan here to convey my sincere thanks to Prime Minister HE Shinzo Abe who in his 2003 visit to Cambodia became the first man I asked for assistance for the reform of elections in Cambodia. The opposition asked only for a reform of the NEC. I asked for reform of the whole election process, starting from registration. Later we brought it to the attention of the European Union, the People’s Republic of China, etc.

Would there be anything they are not satisfied. Would they be happy only when they walk into the peace building? Their plan to take the Senate in order to become acting head of state in absence of HM the King has failed. I just urge that their situation room stop what they have nastily thought and planned. It is in this reason that I condemned those who interfere in Cambodia’s internal affairs. Anyone who spies in Cambodia will face an arrest, no matter what nationality you may be […]

Sunday, 11 January 2018 – the Senate Elections

… I wish to express my appreciations for all political parties who participated in such important event of our country. This is a regular democratic event in Cambodia. We have set a date for the Senate elections. We wait only for my signature. We have decided to set Sunday, 11 January 2018, the Senate elections day. We have to make known in advance so the National Elections Committee will have time to prepare for it. The Royal Government will prepare a fund package for NEC. Until July 2018, we will have the general elections. What are these? They are regular processes of Cambodian democracy. There are thousands of reasons to justify for postponements of elections, should there were a wish for that. However, together with other reforms, to organize elections according to term schedules is a mandatory commitment.

In time to come, NEC will proceed for further registration. We will have younger people who are going to come to their eligible ages and they have to register to exercise their voting rights. I am calling on our people who have just arrived in their eligible ages to register wherever they think is easy for them, for instance, their residences. If they do not wish to travel to their native places to vote, because they are in Phnom Penh for studies or works, they may register their names in Phnom Penh. Some could also ask for their names to transfer to their working areas. Everything would be happening as normal […]

According to principle on how to establish a Senate – number of senators is equal to half of the number of members of the National Assembly. In the time to come, we will have two new seats for the Preah Sihanouk constituency, which has only one seat previously, making our National Assembly seats 125, from 123. We then will have one more seat in the Senate […] The Cambodian People’s Party will continue to be the one that controls the majority … I have spoken rather a lot but let us consider it an advice once a year for our officials to understand their positions – which is not boss of the people but their servants […]

Capacity, Not Age, Judges Who to Be Appointed

… Drawing up a road in politics, military and economy in Cambodia, I have always attached them to people’s life. (As I said the other day) when I fled to Vietnam, they asked me if I wished to leave for Australia, Japan, France, Canada, etc. I refused and asked them to give me back my weapons so I would return to fight and die with my people. In Cambodia, there is no such thing as too young to do a job. When there is a need for appointment, please do not make age a criteria. Look at what does the man have and what he could do. These days, youth now has more chances. In older day, younger ones would only carry a case and follow senior people. I was the one who removed that. People even said I was a minister who still had smell of milk. That had made me working harder and stood up with foreign affairs that I had no knowledge of. I became Prime Minister when I was 32 years old, one of the youngest in the world … Now I am one of the old ones in the world […]

The more people wish to demand my step down I would try to stay on. When they wanted me to stay on, I would step down … As long as Hun Sen is alive, no one would take power from me. In this case, I would urge analysts to think harder about their myth of a division within the Cambodian People’s Party. They said so, if I am not mistaken, since 1981, 1982. Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranaridh confessed at the Preah Keo Morokot temple that there was information to him that the Cambodian People’s Party were about to fall apart […] I hope that political parties in Cambodia will contribute to socio-economic development, reducing poverty, as everyone of them promised – and some of those who promised have now been elected. Let us do everything we can and promise for people interests […]./.